Maurice Cheeks
Encyclopedia
Maurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks (born September 8, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois
) is a retired American professional basketball
player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder
. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
of the National Basketball Association
from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008. Prior to that, he was head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers
from the start of the 2001–02 season until March 2, 2005.
, and attended DuSable High School
. He attended West Texas State University
from 1974 to 1978. Cheeks was an all-Missouri Valley Conference player for three straight seasons, as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career. He is currently the third leading scorer in WTSU/WTAM history.
After college, Cheeks was selected as the 36th pick in the second round of the 1978 NBA Draft
by the Philadelphia 76ers
. Cheeks played 15 years as a point guard
in the NBA, including 11 with the Philadelphia 76ers, He earned four trips to the NBA All-Star Game
, and he helped the 76ers earn three trips to the NBA Finals
in a four-year span in the early 1980s (1980, 1982, and 1983), including one NBA championship in 1983. While starting at point guard for a Sixers team that at times included stars such as Julius Erving
, Moses Malone
, Andrew Toney
, and Charles Barkley
, Cheeks was well regarded for his unselfish team play and excellent defensive skills. As a result, he was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads from 1983 to 1986, and then earned a spot on the second team in 1987.
In NBA history, Cheeks ranks third all-time in steals
and eighth all-time in assists
. At the time of his retirement from the NBA in 1993, Cheeks was the NBA all-time leader in steals and ranked fifth all-time in assists. He averaged 11.7 points per game for his career and notched over 2 steals per contest.
After retirement, Cheeks spent one year coaching in the Continental Basketball Association
, before becoming the 76ers assistant head coach in 1994. He coached under head coaches John Lucas
(1994-96), Johnny Davis (1996-97), and Larry Brown
, and he was an instrumental part of the Philadelphia team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals
. In 2001, he was hired as Portland Trail Blazers head coach. He led the team to two playoff berths in four years as coach, but could not get past the first round. He was fired after a poor start to the 2004–05 campaign.
On April 25, 2003, during a game between the Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks
, Cheeks aided 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert in singing the American national anthem
. After Gilbert forgot the words at "At the twilight's last gleaming", Cheeks rushed over to help her and they finished it together, as the entire Rose Garden Arena crowd sang with them. Cheeks and Gilbert received a standing ovation after the song was over.
In 2005, Cheeks was named as head coach of the 76ers. Maurice Cheeks was popular among Sixers fans because of his eleven year tenure with the Sixers, during which he helped guide the Sixers to the 1983 NBA championship. The move was also praised by Sixers star Allen Iverson
, who worked with Cheeks during his run as Sixers' Assistant Head Coach.
However, he missed the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. Frustrations began to grow with Sixers veterans Allen Iverson and Chris Webber
, who were not happy with the team's direction. During the 2006-07 season, Iverson would be traded to the Nuggets and Webber would be released, leaving Cheeks with one of the youngest teams in the NBA. On February 20, 2007, the 76ers extended Cheeks' contract one year despite his losing record as coach.
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, expectations were low and the 76ers were picked to finish last in the Conference by many prognosticators. However, the Sixers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2008. It was their first postseason appearance since 2005, as well as the first in the post-Iverson era. However, they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons
, 4–2. Even with this elimination, many fans considered this to be a successful season, considering that the Sixers were 12 games under .500 in early February and went on to have a 21-7 run that led them to the playoffs.
The Sixers started out the 2008-09 NBA season 9-14, despite their signing of Elton Brand
and re-signing of Andre Iguodala
during the offseason. Due to their slow start, the 76ers fired Cheeks on December 13, 2008.
On August 14, 2009, he was made an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder
.
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||3||0||3||.000
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|82||50||32||.610|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|82||41||41||.500|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|55||22||33||.400|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|82||38||44||.463|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|82||35||47||.427|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|82||40||42||.488|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|23||9||14||.391|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||570||284||286||.498|| ||16||5||11||.313
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) is a retired American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008. Prior to that, he was head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
from the start of the 2001–02 season until March 2, 2005.
Biography
Cheeks was born in Chicago, grew up in the Robert Taylor HomesRobert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes was a housing project in the Bronzeville neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, on State Street between Pershing Road and 54th Street alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway.-History:...
, and attended DuSable High School
DuSable High School
DuSable High School was a public high school in Chicago opened in the Bronzeville neighborhood in 1934. It was named after Chicago's first permanent non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. DuSable was built to accommodate the growing Phillips High School in the 1930s. The campus was...
. He attended West Texas State University
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
from 1974 to 1978. Cheeks was an all-Missouri Valley Conference player for three straight seasons, as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career. He is currently the third leading scorer in WTSU/WTAM history.
After college, Cheeks was selected as the 36th pick in the second round of the 1978 NBA Draft
1978 NBA Draft
The 1978 NBA Draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 9, 1978, before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
by the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. Cheeks played 15 years as a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
in the NBA, including 11 with the Philadelphia 76ers, He earned four trips to the NBA All-Star Game
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
, and he helped the 76ers earn three trips to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
in a four-year span in the early 1980s (1980, 1982, and 1983), including one NBA championship in 1983. While starting at point guard for a Sixers team that at times included stars such as Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
, Moses Malone
Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone is a retired American Hall of Fame basketball player who starred in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association...
, Andrew Toney
Andrew Toney
Andrew Toney is an American former professional basketball player who played for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers from 1980 to 1988...
, and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
, Cheeks was well regarded for his unselfish team play and excellent defensive skills. As a result, he was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads from 1983 to 1986, and then earned a spot on the second team in 1987.
In NBA history, Cheeks ranks third all-time in steals
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...
and eighth all-time in assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
. At the time of his retirement from the NBA in 1993, Cheeks was the NBA all-time leader in steals and ranked fifth all-time in assists. He averaged 11.7 points per game for his career and notched over 2 steals per contest.
After retirement, Cheeks spent one year coaching in the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, before becoming the 76ers assistant head coach in 1994. He coached under head coaches John Lucas
John Lucas
John Lucas is the name of:*John Lucas , philosopher*John Lucas II , retired American professional basketball player*John Lucas III , his son, current professional basketball player...
(1994-96), Johnny Davis (1996-97), and Larry Brown
Larry Brown
-Athletes:* Larry Brown , former NHL ice hockey player* Larry Brown , , NCAA, ABA and NBA player and coach-American football:* Larry Brown , NFL cornerback and Super Bowl MVP...
, and he was an instrumental part of the Philadelphia team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals
2001 NBA Finals
The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage in a best-of-seven format.The...
. In 2001, he was hired as Portland Trail Blazers head coach. He led the team to two playoff berths in four years as coach, but could not get past the first round. He was fired after a poor start to the 2004–05 campaign.
On April 25, 2003, during a game between the Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, Cheeks aided 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert in singing the American national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
. After Gilbert forgot the words at "At the twilight's last gleaming", Cheeks rushed over to help her and they finished it together, as the entire Rose Garden Arena crowd sang with them. Cheeks and Gilbert received a standing ovation after the song was over.
In 2005, Cheeks was named as head coach of the 76ers. Maurice Cheeks was popular among Sixers fans because of his eleven year tenure with the Sixers, during which he helped guide the Sixers to the 1983 NBA championship. The move was also praised by Sixers star Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
, who worked with Cheeks during his run as Sixers' Assistant Head Coach.
However, he missed the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. Frustrations began to grow with Sixers veterans Allen Iverson and Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
, who were not happy with the team's direction. During the 2006-07 season, Iverson would be traded to the Nuggets and Webber would be released, leaving Cheeks with one of the youngest teams in the NBA. On February 20, 2007, the 76ers extended Cheeks' contract one year despite his losing record as coach.
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, expectations were low and the 76ers were picked to finish last in the Conference by many prognosticators. However, the Sixers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2008. It was their first postseason appearance since 2005, as well as the first in the post-Iverson era. However, they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
, 4–2. Even with this elimination, many fans considered this to be a successful season, considering that the Sixers were 12 games under .500 in early February and went on to have a 21-7 run that led them to the playoffs.
The Sixers started out the 2008-09 NBA season 9-14, despite their signing of Elton Brand
Elton Brand
Elton Tyron Brand is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association...
and re-signing of Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who plays small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in and 207 lbs. . Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois...
during the offseason. Due to their slow start, the 76ers fired Cheeks on December 13, 2008.
On August 14, 2009, he was made an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
.
Coaching record
|-| align="left" |POR
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| align="left" |
|82||49||33||.598|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||3||0||3||.000
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|82||50||32||.610|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|82||41||41||.500|| align="center" |3rd in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |POR
| align="left" |
|55||22||33||.400|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |PHI
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
| align="left" |
|82||38||44||.463|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|82||35||47||.427|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|82||40||42||.488|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|23||9||14||.391|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||570||284||286||.498|| ||16||5||11||.313
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
- List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game